I’m (22) working part time at an independent field work position that requires me to be available 24/7, and I don’t know when I work until the night before, and sometimes I get called in ASAP.

It pays $38/hour, but I get taxed almost 1/3, and the hours I work are totally unpredictable, it could be 4 hours a week or 30, and I can’t ask for more work. My bills alone is $2k a month, and I’m in debt that I need to pay off. I also support my girlfriend and an iguana.

This job is a builder for my biology career (fisheries observer and catch monitor, so independent field work). I want to be an animal behavior and ecology professor. Having a good recommendation from the company is crucial as this is one of my first science jobs out of college and independent field work looks EXCELLENT on a resume. However, since starting this job, I’ve realized marine science isn’t my specific forte, and I’d rather something mammal or reptile based.

I signed a year contract that ends in May ‘27. I want to finish the contract, but if I can’t support myself, I’ll need to quit and do something else. People terminate their first contracts all the time and there’s no penalty, but it doesn’t look too good on paper I suppose.

I got a job at a grocery store recently, but it’s only 2 days a week at $17/hour, so like dogshit nothing pay. But I don’t even know if I can sustain that job, since I’d need to call out every time I get called into my main job.

I also have an interview for an independent rodent pest control position. Totally not my style, but it pays $70-$80k per year and has insane benefits and lots of PTO. It is still independent work, but really not related to the sciences very much. If I land this job (which I’m confident I can), it would totally save me and my girlfriend from financial crisis.

I asked a senior employee at the company what to do. She said jobs related to my field look best on a resume. She sent me a government position that’s over an hour away, and I just quit smoking weed yesterday and it’ll take over a month for my system to clear. It pays $4k a month and mainly deals in catching wild salmon and collecting data. This would also look great on my resume, but I’d be driving for almost 3 hours a day, and that’s if I can even pass the drug test.

TLDR:
- current job doesn’t pay the bills, can’t get a second job, but finishing my contract will give a better referral
- could do pest control for great pay, but not really related to my career, although it would save my ass until I can find something else
- could do DFW work in another state, but far away and drug test

Any advice is appreciated

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Should I terminate my contract because my career-building job doesn’t pay the bills?